UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution co-authored by Pakistan and Denmark aimed at strengthening accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers, underscoring the need to investigate and prosecute attacks targeting personnel serving in UN peace operations.
The resolution received the support of all 15 Security Council members and was co-sponsored by more than 100 UN member states.
According to the United Nations, as many as 1,095 peacekeepers have been killed in malicious acts since 1948, including 359 since 2013, while several thousand others have been injured.
The Security Council UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED a draft resolution on accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers.
Since 1948, 1,095 UN peacekeepers have been killed as a result of malicious acts, including 359 since 2013. Several thousand more were injured. pic.twitter.com/fDTVyd8KOa
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) June 23, 2026
Ahead of the vote, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the Security Council must go beyond expressions of concern.
“This draft resolution seeks to move the council beyond statements condemning these attacks. Council’s pronouncements are important, condolences are necessary, but they are not enough,” Ahmad said.
Ahmad noted that the resolution introduced practical measures to strengthen existing accountability mechanisms, including annual reporting by the UN Secretary-General on investigations and prosecutions related to killings and violence against peacekeepers.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said UN peacekeeping reflects the collective commitment of member states to international peace and security, noting that nearly 4,500 peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty, including 183 Pakistanis.
Across several missions, attacks against United Nations peacekeepers have increased in number and sophistication. Peacekeepers are being targeted, often with little accountability. This draft resolution seeks to move the Council beyond statements condemning these attacks. The… pic.twitter.com/Hggrk27VQu
— Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) June 23, 2026
Ambassador Ahmad said Pakistan, as one of the largest troop-contributing countries, fully understood the human cost of peacekeeping and the need to strengthen accountability to improve the safety and security of personnel.
He said attacks against UN peacekeepers had increased in frequency and sophistication, stressing that Council statements and condemnations were not enough without accountability and justice.
The resolution also requests the Secretary-General to submit options within 120 days on strengthening the accountability framework for crimes against UN personnel.
Ambassador Ahmad said the resolution also proposes the designation of a senior focal point within the UN Secretariat to improve coordination and follow-up with host countries and troop-contributing nations.
He said the resolution sends a strong political message that attacks on peacekeepers will not go unanswered and that perpetrators must face justice.
Following the vote, the Pakistan envoy to the UN expressed his gratitude to the members for their votes and to Denmark in particular.
Most grateful to all Security Council members for the consensual adoption of resolution 2823 on Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers today. I thank Denmark for our strong partnership as the Council’s “peacekeeping duo”.
Our deep appreciation and profound thanks also… pic.twitter.com/6vkcpUU31E
— Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, PR of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanPR_UN) June 23, 2026
Denmark’s UN envoy Christina Markus Lassen welcomed the resolution’s adoption and thanked council members for their engagement during negotiations.
“The unanimous support for this resolution sends a strong and important message to the over 50,000 personnel currently serving in peacekeeping missions,” she said.
Lassen added that Denmark was pleased to work closely with Pakistan on the initiative as part of their cooperation on peacekeeping issues within the Security Council.
Adopted as UN Resolution 2823, it condemned all attacks against UN peacekeepers and paid tribute to personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.
It stressed that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and highlighted accountability as a key tool to deter future violence and improve the safety and security of UN missions.
The text also called on relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the UN in pursuing accountability and reiterates the responsibility of host countries to investigate such crimes and bring perpetrators to justice in accordance with national and international law.
